How Can You Take a Systemic Approach to Funding & Sustainability?

find sustainable funding sources— use this approach:

Identify and secure “champion funding partners” — They can serve as key members of the coalition.

Create and sign MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) — It should specify fundraising roles and responsibilities that partners will assume.

Identify a staff person to monitor & track collective fundraising efforts — This individual should be the point-person for these tasks and can be either a volunteer or an employee of one of the coalition’s partner organizations .

Map current sources of fundingfor Out-of-School Time — You can use this map to identify gaps in support and to inform funding and sustainability strategies at many levels (federal, state, local, private, etc.).

Jointly develop business plans — They should include shared resources across partners, creative funding and sustainability strategies, and defined multiple-year funding goals.

Collect aggregate outcomes data and individual testimonies — Gather this from program participants to create common messages for policymakers and public and private funders that tell the story of impact. (Read more about using data to support & strengthen OST here.)

Submit joint funding proposals — They can support multiple programs when possible.

Learn from the early childhood movement and jointly fund return on investment studies — This can demonstrate the cost savings to communities as a result of funding high-quality out-of-school initiatives.

Get educated about the cost of quality programsand hold programs accountable for results — It is much easier to make the case for continued investment in out-of-school time when you can demonstrate success on outcomes that communities care about. To see an Out-of-School time cost study funded by the Wallace Foundation, click here).

Create realistic expectations — In economically hard times, coalitions will have to focus on maintaining current funding levels rather than advocating for significant increases.

Buffer the impact of cuts and leverage trained volunteers — Use them to support program elements that can no longer be supported with paid staff, tap local businesses to donate supplies and leverage in-kind support (e.g. facilities use, staff time).

Require sustainability plans— This should be required section in the grant proposals of the programs you fund.